Classroom Observation and Feedback Tool
TEACHER INFORMATION
Teacher Name
School
Date
Grade/Course _____________________ Observer _______________________________
This observation tool is intended to validate observable actions/behaviors in a classroom setting. The tool focuses
on the Utah Effective Teaching Standards 1-7 in the areas of; The Learner and Learning, and Instructional Practice.
It should be used to collect evidence and provide feedback to all teachers using consistent language.
1. Student Engagement: Are all students engaged in the work of the lesson from start to finish?
2. Essential Content: Are all students working with content aligned to the appropriate standards for
their subject and grade?
3. Academic Ownership: Are all students responsible for doing the thinking in this classroom?
4. Demonstration of Learning: Do all students demonstrate that they are learning?
Follow up:
What skill(s) did you see the teacher using most effectively? Was there evidence that action steps from the
previous feedback session were implemented?
What specific skill or technique will you and the teacher need to practice and develop over the next cycle?
Is instruction tailored to address and meet the needs of all students; linguistically, culturally, developmentally,
etc.? Are all students appropriately included?
This rubric was adapted from the TNTP Core Teaching Rubric (CC BY-NC 4.0)
The Salt Lake City School District prohibits discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, or
sexual orientation.
Core Teacher Skills
Student Engagement
Maintaining High Behavior Expectations
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Providing specific, concrete, sequential, and observable directions for behavior and academics
Addressing all negative and off-task student behavior immediately and in a way that does not slow or disrupt lesson momentum
Issuing logical and appropriate consequences as needed without hesitation, such that consequences are successful in changing student behavior
Using voice and presence to maintain authority and convey caring for students
Investing time in knowing individual students and in forming relationships to best support their learning
Developing an active interest in students’ well-being and demonstrating that interest through his/her engagement with students
Maximizing Instructional Time
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Using efficient techniques for starting and ending lessons
Using efficient routines and procedures
Responding to student requests without interrupting instruction
Planning for and providing work for students to “say yes to” and using strategies to maintain a quick pace throughout the lesson
Essential Content
Planning Effectively
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Allocating instructional time to address the most important content for the grade or course
Developing and clearly communicating a well-framed, standards-aligned and appropriately rigorous objective to describe the goal(s) of the lesson
Developing and/or using appropriately demanding instructional materials, such as texts, questions, problems, exercises and assessments
Developing a vision for student success and standards-aligned, big goal(s) that are ambitious, measurable and appropriate for all students
Developing and/or using a long-term, sequential plan that leads to mastery of the most important content for the grade or course
Developing and/or using daily lesson activities that are well sequenced and move students toward mastery of grade-level standards
Developing and providing accommodations and modifications as needed to ensure all students are able to attain learning goals
Considering students’ IEP goals and other specific learning needs in developing learning goals and preparing lessons (where applicable)
Anticipating common student misunderstandings given the content, and ensuring strategies are in place to overcome those misunderstandings
Academic Ownership
Maintaining High Academic Expectations
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Promoting student persistence to get correct, defended responses
Using an appropriate tone when responding to student answers
Requiring that students use complete sentences, correct grammar and academic language
Building Thinking Skills
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Structuring and delivering lesson activities so that students do an appropriate amount of the thinking required by the lesson
Posing questions or providing lesson activities that require students to cite evidence to support their thinking
Providing opportunities for students to respond to and build on their peers’ ideas
Providing support necessary for students to complete instructional tasks requiring higher-order thinking skills
Providing individualized instruction so that all students can access content and participate in the class
Demonstration of Learning
Leading Instruction
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Conveying or providing accurate content and all content necessary for students to achieve the learning goal(s)
Using explanations of content that are clear, coherent and support student understanding of content
Differentiating instruction as needed in response to student learning needs, including enrichment and extra support
Checking for Understanding of Content
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Accurately checking for whether students understand the key content needed to master the lesson at key moments in the lesson (e.g. during direct
instruction, before independent practice, at a transition and with an exit ticket at the end of a lesson)
Developing and/or using informal and formal assessments that yield useable data on students’ progress toward grade-level standards
Responding to Student Misunderstanding
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Providing feedback that affirms correctly understood content and student progress toward the lesson objective, and clarifies misunderstood content
Recognizing the root of student errors and re-teaching or re-framing content to address the underlying cause of student misunderstanding
This rubric was adapted from the TNTP Core Teaching Rubric (CC BY-NC 4.0)
The Salt Lake City School District prohibits discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, or
sexual orientation.
Performance Descriptors
Student Engagement
Not Effective
Very few or no students complete
instructional tasks, volunteer
responses and/or ask appropriate
questions.
Very few or no students demonstrate
a clear understanding of behavioral
expectations and/or directions
through their actions.
Students do not execute transitions,
routines and procedures in an orderly
manner.
Students are left without work to do
for a significant portion of the class
period.
Emerging / Minimally Eff.
Effective
Highly Effective
Some students complete
instructional tasks, volunteer
responses and/or ask appropriate
questions.
Some students demonstrate a clear
understanding of behavioral
expectations and/or directions.
Students execute transitions,
routines and procedures in an orderly
and efficient manner only some of
the time and/or require substantial
direction from the teacher.
Students are idle while waiting for
the teacher or left with nothing to do
for one or two minutes at a time.
All or almost all students complete
instructional tasks, volunteer
responses and/or ask appropriate
questions.
All or almost all students follow
behavioral expectations and/or
directions.
Students execute transitions,
routines and procedures in an orderly
and efficient manner with minimal
direction or narration from the
teacher.
Class has a quick pace and students
are engaged in the work of the lesson
from start to finish. Students who
finish assigned work early engage in
meaningful learning without
interrupting other students’ learning.
All descriptors for Level 4 are met,
and at least one of the following
types of evidence is demonstrated:
Students assume responsibility for
routines and procedures and execute
them in an orderly, efficient and selfdirected manner, requiring no
direction or narration from the
teacher.
Students demonstrate a sense of
ownership of behavioral expectations
by holding each other accountable
for meeting them.
Applicable Utah Effective Teaching Standards:
1a Creates appropriate and challenging learning experiences
3a Develops routines and procedures that engage students
3b Establishes a positive climate of respect, support and inquiry
3c Uses a variety of management strategies
3d Engages students by managing time, space and attention
3e Extends learning by using technology, media and other resources
Essential Content
Not Effective
Emerging / Minimally Eff.
Effective
Highly Effective
The lesson does not focus on content
that advances students toward gradelevel standards or expectations
and/or IEP goals.
Most of the activities students engage
in are not aligned to the stated or
implied learning goal(s) or to each
other.
Instructional materials students use,
such as texts, questions, problems,
exercises and assessments, are not
appropriately demanding for the
grade/course and time in the schoolyear, based on guidance in the
standards and/or students’ IEP goals
(ex. Lexile level and complexity of
text).
The lesson partially focuses on
content that advances students
toward grade-level standards or
expectations and/or IEP goals.
Only some activities students engage
in are aligned to the stated or implied
learning goal(s).
Some instructional materials students
use, such as texts, questions,
problems, exercises and assessments,
are not appropriately demanding for
the grade/course and time in the
school-year, based on guidance in the
standards and/or students’ IEP goals
(ex. Lexile level and complexity of
text).
The lesson focuses on content that
advances students toward grade-level
standards or expectations and/or IEP
goals.
All activities students engage in are
aligned to the stated or implied
learning goal(s) and are wellsequenced and build on each other to
move students toward mastery of the
grade-level standard(s) and/or IEP
goals.
All instructional materials students
use, such as texts, questions,
problems, exercises and assessments,
are high-quality and appropriately
demanding for the grade/course and
time in the school-year, based on
guidance in the standards and/or
students’ IEP goals (ex. Lexile level
and complexity of text).
All descriptors for Level 4 are met,
and the following evidence is
demonstrated:
Students make connections between
what they are learning and other
content across disciplines.
Students independently connect
lesson content to real-world
situations.
Note to observers: When assessing the content of the lesson, your goal is to first examine what students are being asked to do during
the lesson, and with what materials. Then, compare this to the expectation of the relevant Utah Core standard for that particular
subject/grade to assess whether or not the students are working with appropriately rigorous content
Applicable Utah Effective Teaching Standards:
2b Designs instruction to address diverse strengths and needs
2e Incorporates tools of English language development
4a Knows the content and conveys accurate information and concepts
4b Uses the Utah Core in planning and teaching
4d Uses multiple representations and explanations to capture key ideas
6a Plans instruction based on approved state curriculum
6b Creates appropriate, effective and relevant learning experiences
6c Differentiates instruction for individuals and groups
6e Integrates cross-disciplinary skills into instruction
7a Understands and practices a range of appropriate strategies
7b Uses appropriate strategies and resources to adapt instruction
This rubric was adapted from the TNTP Core Teaching Rubric (CC BY-NC 4.0)
The Salt Lake City School District prohibits discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, or
sexual orientation.
Academic Ownership
Not Effective
Emerging / Minimally Eff.
Effective
Highly Effective
Very few or no students provide
meaningful oral or written evidence
to support their thinking.
Students complete very little of the
cognitive work during the lesson,
such as reading, writing, discussion,
analysis, computation, or problem
solving; the teacher completes all or
almost all of the cognitive work.
Students respond negatively to their
peers’ thinking, ideas, or answers.
No students or very few students try
hard to complete challenging
academic work or answer questions.
Some students provide meaningful
oral or written evidence to support
their thinking.
Students complete some of the
cognitive work during the lesson,
such as reading, writing, discussion,
analysis, computation, or problem
solving, but the teacher or a very
small number of students complete
most of the cognitive work.
Students do not respond to their
peers’ thinking, ideas, or answers, or
do not provide feedback.
Some students try hard to complete
challenging academic work and
answer questions.
All or almost all students provide
meaningful oral or written evidence
to support their thinking.
Students complete an appropriately
challenging amount of the cognitive
work during the lesson, such as
reading, writing, discussion, analysis,
computation, or problem solving,
given the focus of the lesson.
Students respond to and build on
their peers’ thinking, ideas or
answers.
Students routinely provide
constructive feedback to their
classmates and respond productively
when a peer answers a question
incorrectly or when they do not agree
with the response.
All or almost all students consistently
try hard to complete academic work
and answer questions, even if the
work is challenging.
All descriptors for Level 4 are met,
and at least one of the following
types of evidence is demonstrated:
Students synthesize diverse
perspectives or points of view during
the lesson.
Students independently show
enthusiasm and interest in taking on
advanced or more challenging
content.
Applicable Utah Effective Teaching Standards:
2c Allows students to demonstrate learning in diverse ways
2d Creates a culture that encourages perseverance
3f Encourages use of speaking, listening, reading, writing, analysis.
4c Engages students in inquiry and standards of the discipline
4e Supports students in learning and using accurate academic language
6d Creates opportunities for students to generate creative work
7d Uses a variety of strategies to support and expand communication
7e Provides multiple opportunities for students to develop higher skills
7f Provides opportunities for questioning and analyzing real-world prob.
Demonstration of Learning
Not Effective
Emerging / Minimally Eff.
Effective
Highly Effective
Questions, tasks or assessments do
not yield data that allow the teacher
to assess students’ progress toward
learning goals.
Students have very few or no
opportunities to express learning
through academic writing and/or
explanations using academic
language.
Very few or no students demonstrate
how well they understand lesson
content and their progress toward
learning goals.
Student responses, work and
interactions demonstrate that most
students are not on track to achieve
stated or implied learning goals.
Questions, tasks or assessments yield
data that only partially allow the
teacher to assess students’ progress
toward learning goals.
Students have few opportunities to
express learning through academic
writing and/or explanations using
academic language.
Some students demonstrate how well
they understand lesson content and
their progress toward learning goals
through their work and/or responses.
Student responses, work and
interactions demonstrate that some
students are on track to achieve
stated or implied learning goals.
Questions, tasks or assessments yield
data that allow the teacher to assess
students’ progress toward learning
goals and help pinpoint where
understanding breaks down.
Students have extensive
opportunities to express learning
through academic writing and/or
explanations using academic
language.
All students demonstrate how well
they understand lesson content and
their progress toward learning goals
through their work and/or responses.
Student responses, work and
interactions demonstrate that all or
almost all students are on track to
achieve stated or implied learning
goals.
All descriptors for Level 4 are met,
and at least one of the following
types of evidence is demonstrated:
Students self-assess whether they
have achieved the lesson objective
and provide feedback to the teacher.
Students monitor their own progress,
identify their own errors and seek
additional opportunities for practice.
Applicable Utah Effective Teaching Standards:
2a Understands learner differences and holds high expectations
5a Designs assessments in a variety of formats to match objectives
5b Teaches elements of quality work and provides timely feedback
5c Adjusts assessment methods and makes appropriate accommodations
5d Uses data to assess effectiveness and make adjustments
7c Analyzes student errors to redirect and deepen learning
7h Uses a variety of questioning strategies
This rubric was adapted from the TNTP Core Teaching Rubric (CC BY-NC 4.0)
The Salt Lake City School District prohibits discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, or
sexual orientation.